Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving week at Amazon’s SDF-1 Fulfillment center in Campbellsville Kentucky. Though the “peak season “ is underway, we have had a couple of short days. One for VTO, voluntary time off, and one for the Holliday. So, between us we have put in a quite easy sixty eight hour week.

The VTO is over for the season and the fifty plus hour weeks begin. That will mean a hundred or more hours between us, each week until we are released just before CHRISTmas.

Across the battlefield a patch of sunlight has broken through the clouds and the old fort site, above Tebbs Bend is standing out brightly, on a overcast day.

Thank you to the Men and Women that serve America to keep it free. You are the reason that Betty and I can enjoy the lifestyle that we enjoy so much.

I remember back when I was serving, way off somewhere in a strange and dangerous place, that it was good to know that folks back home were having a great meal and giving thanks, and that some day, I would be giving thanks while others served.

That day has came for us, thank you America’s Military ! We keep the home fires burning for you.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Last Winter in Campbellsville Kentucky, at Indian Ridge Campground, we had a pretty rough Winter.

We had a opening where we could move up on the very scenic ridge beside friends, but were concerned that we had never spent the Winter in our then new Coleman fifthwheel, so, we stayed down out of the North wind swept ridge.

Even then we had a couple of problems, one was insulated and a heat tape added, earlier this year, though we never did freeze all the way up, we did have a exposed grey water dump valve that wouldn’t open because it was frozen. Here is a look.

Since the valve is on the sewer manifold that is exposed, below the heated basement and belly, and is dry below the valve, we won’t leave the heat tape turned on all of the time. The heat tape manufacturer advises to only put the tape on pipes that are filled with liquid. The cord that plugs in will remain exposed and easily accessed. So, when the valve freezes in the closed position, we will plug it in, long enough to thaw the valve and dump the gray water tank.

Our other gray water tank and the Black water tank, have their valves up inside the heated belly of the trailer and have not frozen up so far. If they ever do freeze, we will have to give the project another thought or two.

After securing the heat tape in place with gorilla tape, it was time to apply some insulation.

The insulation is foil backed and self adhesive, but, I taped it with Gorilla tape anyhow.

Here it is on the pipe above the valve.

I made sure it was sealed up to the belly skin, thinking that would help in windy conditions.

The valve, being a difficult shape to wrap, didn’t come out as neat looking.

This type of heat tape seems to be no longer available in most hardware stores because of a change in the electrical code, or so they tell me.

I had to find this one on Ebay. Here is a look at the simple items needed for the project.

I really like the Frost King insulation. It was easy to work with and we have lots of it left over for future projects.

This year, however, we are the CAMPERFORCE, a “branded” word. Here is a look at some of the inbound receive team’s Personal equipment.

The yellow plastic thing at the bottom is a safety knife that we open all of those cardboard boxes full of the stuff we receive into SDF-1.

The blue cards go on the lanyard around the neck and are used several times each day for everything from accessing the facility to logging onto your computer terminal.

The new lanyard is softer and smoother. Here is a closer look. Note the extra plastic latch that will break away easily if caught on something.

I guess that we all have experienced a paper cut some time or another, that’s the reason for the thin, stretchy, rubber palmed, gloves. As you may well imagine, the cardboard boxes have traveled many miles, are handled many times, and a cut could be quite infectious.

Who would have thought that a computer keyboard could be operated while wearing gloves !

The gloves and knife as well as many other safety related items may be received from a free vending machine that you just “swipe”your ID Badge on.

The top card in the photo above gives an idea of the kind of hours that can be available should you want extra hours.

We have completed our two weeks of “work hardening” , five hour days. The “peak” of the season is starting and we will be busy busy busy !

Sunday, November 13, 2011

As we travel around America’s Heartland, we find ourselves in different internet availability situations. Here is a look at how we are connecting at our current location.’’

As we watch the Arkansas vs Tennessee game, that is pumped into the fifthwheel’s surround sound system, we are , writing a blog entry, and downloading a update on the other laptop. Both laptops are connected to the internet, each in a different way. One by 3g device and one by cell phone tether. Our third way to connect would be via the campground’s various wi-fi signals that are present. Here is a look at the campground’s various wi-fi signals that are available.

Having multiple internet methods sound expensive ? Nope, it doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. Here is look at our smart telephone tether, hanging by a fly swatter handle to get it away from signal blocking metal and the television behind it gives it some directional ability towards the nearest cellular tower.

The other laptop is hooked to our air card 3g device. It is also on a short USB cable to elevate it. Here it is, held in place with a bread sack tie twist.

In one of our locations, DSL is available and our cell phones just are not going to work. So we use our centurytell provided DSL modem, our fourth way to connect. Here is a look.

Having lots of inexpensive internet options keeps us up to speed with family and friends as well as to be able to pay bills and look for cool blue collar work adventures.

I guess that the bottom line for us is that though it isn’t expensive or fancy, it does work for us.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Working indoors is something that we just don’t care much for. We would just as soon be outside experiencing the weather, what ever it may be.

Having said that, I remember those bad Winter days last year, when there was 1/4” of Ice on the ground, with 4” of snow on top of it. That building that we would rather be on the outside of, felt pretty dadgum good !

As I sit typing this in our office slide out, this is the view.

We have completed our orientation and safety schools at Amazon.com, and are now working on our two weeks of five hour days that Amazon calls “work hardening”. This is to get us ready to work those ten and eleven hour days during the CHRISTmas rush season that many call “crunch time”.

It has been a joyful time to reunite with our Amazon family. So many have moved on up the chain of command and now have bigger jobs with more responsibility.

The inbound receiver’s now have a new training program that is done on the actual receive station. We all wear headsets to follow our instructors as we do the various drills that make up the course. It is a good experience that refreshed last years skills and gives us new skills to work with.

Each day we will have a couple of hours of training and a couple of hours of hands on work.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Stately oak trees near the RV parking area, located on the left just before arriving at the museum, just turn left onto the heavily graveled parking area.

It is only a very short walk to the museum and the start of the various tour trails. A cool RVer’s advantage is that the parking area is located in the middle of and very near the trails that are ADA accessible. This makes it possible to have lunch before or between doing the trails.

Don’t go on into the automobile parking area, while towing, that would be hard to get out of.

Beautiful plaque at the entry way to the museum. Be sure to catch the movie first, it will set the stage for everything on the site and will enhance your experience.

A museum log cabin interior.

56 steps one for each year of his life, lead up to the memorial. Many US Presidents have made the climb to the top. It was pretty cool to walk in the steps of such powerful history and think about how the Lincoln family did things as they lived here.

The formal entry way into the memorial that housed the log cabin. We had to go in by the back door. It didn’t bother this bib overall wearing red neck though, we’ve been avoiding “polite company” and coming in the back door all of our lives.

The Sinking Spring, was the Lincoln family’s water source. Cool and damp at the bottom of the stairs, it made us wonder if a young Abraham Lincoln had, on a hot Summer afternoon, slipped down the steps for a cool drink of milk or maybe some other kitchen delight that mom had stored there.

Betty and I walked down into the spring, while we speculated on such matters, and shot this video. Here is a look at our short, 28 second long video.

This was an easily access, close to the highway, free and enjoyable place to visit our nation’s history.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

We arrived early at Indian Ridge Campground. We had been running ahead of a strong Nor’Wester, the same one that dropped so much snow on New England. Still, though, we had to set up in a cold rain. That rain passed through overnight, and the weather has been just great since then.

It is good to be back in the campground that has such a commanding view of the Tebbs Bend Civil War Battlefield. Here is a look at the campsite and the campground.

Click on photo for a better view. Union troops were entrenched up on the ridge behind the house, guarding the Green River Bridge.

Here is a 32 second video look at the battlefield from our living room window.

At the front of our fiver is the office, recreation hall, pool and so on and so forth. Here is a look.

Picnic table side of the fiver.

Got the 100 pound propane tank filled today, just in case that next front that the weather man is talking about gets rougher than he thinks !

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About Me

Deep in the heart of the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, Mountainborn lives the ancient hunting lifestyle of his forebearers, while blending modern technology into his mountainer’s daily activities. Millitary skills learned in South East Asia during the Viet Nam era, compliment his woodsman’s techniques, and saturate his life.
Mountainborn’s Grandmother worried about her grandson while he was away in the military. She wrote a widely published poem about him titled MOUNTAINBORN, the name stuck.
He longed for those misty mountains, while overseas, but the ancient lifestyle was the thing that he missed the most. There was just something about roaming those remote mountains with a gun and a dog that he constantly dreamed of. His descriptions of the Ouachita mountains and hunting to provide for his family constitute the MOUNTAINBORN CHRONICLES.
Currently serving as Chief of Police, Larry Harmon lives with his wife Betty and retired drug dog Dillon at the foot of Cross Mountain, near Vandervoort, Arkansas.The MOUNTAINBORN CHRONICLES is dedicated to the memory of CLARA GANDY ANDERSEN.His Grandmother taught him to dream beyond the Mountains that surrounded him.